Heavenbound
by cartoon moomba
Summary: - Sometimes, - she continues, repeating herself, - I can see his wings, too. - Colette and Kratos on sleepless nights, and what do angels have to talk about, anyways? Now a Three-Shot! Previously titled "Lucky Figurines".
1. ANGELS

**Disclaimer: **Tales of Symphonia does not belong to me.

The physical similarities between Mithos as a kid and Colette were very weird the first time I played through. I guess it has stuck with me this whole entire time. :p This has slight hints of AU (Lloyd's heritage) and Colette may seem slightly OOC, but really, what else does she have to think about all those nights she can't sleep? Counting the stars can get monotone.

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**ANGELS  
**_"Do you believe there are angels among us?"_

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"Mr. Kratos," the Chosen says to him one day, "Do you believe in guardian angels?"

The mercenary falters for the briefest of moments as the blonde girl sits next to him by the fire. It shimmers in the night, illuminating the sleeping silhouettes of their companions. She doesn't say anything, just watches the flames and waits for his answer.

"I believe there may be someone watching over us when we need it the most," he offers at last. Colette giggles.

"Not like that, Mr. Kratos." She hesitates, trying to find the right words. "I mean... physical. Do you ever believe there are angels among us?"

Kratos raises one brow. "You are an angel, Chosen."

She sends him a look, somewhat exasperated. Kratos finds himself more and more surprised by the Chosen at night, when she doesn't sleep and counts the stars with him. He knows it gives one an opportunity to think beyond the normal human limits, all that time spent in the dark.

"That is not what I mean and you know it, Mr. Kratos." The girl is smiling but her eyes are not. Kratos thinks that the physical resemblance to Mithos in his youth is uncanny.

"Lucky figurines?" He offers, because Anna loved collecting those. She tended to hold them up to him, compare them, and laugh. Lloyd would just put them in his mouth and giggle.

"Mr. Kratos," she admonishes. The fire flickers. Somewhere, Noishe whines in his sleep and Genis groans.

"Chosen."

There is almost a stare-off as she examines him, still smiling. Finally, she drops her gaze and stares at her hands, clasped in her lap. A moment of silence passes.

"Sometimes," she whispers so low that no one but him would have heard her, "I can see your wings."

Kratos doesn't acknowledge her.

"It started in Triet," she continues, her voice nervous as she begins playing with the grass stalks circling the fire pit. "I started seeing them then. Not always, they flicker when you're angry. Or when you're fighting." She glances up. "When you're worried, too." Briefly, her eyes fall just beyond him. "They're blue, aren't they, Mr. Kratos?"

"Chosen," he begins, quiet, but she shakes her head.

"It's okay," she says, smiling at him, Colette Brunel once again and not ghosts of a corrupted Mithos Yggdrasill. "But, just so you know..." She bites her lip and turns her eyes away. He follows her gaze and stops at Lloyd. The boy shifts in his sleep, murmuring.

"Sometimes," she continues, repeating herself. "I can see his wings, too."

There is no answer, but Colette doesn't mind, because she didn't expect one.

"There stars are especially bright tonight," she says instead, and turns her eyes upwards to trace angels in the sky. The fire continues to crackle in the silence.


	2. AMONG

**Disclaimer: **Tales of Symphonia does not belong to me.

Okay, so scenes between Kratos and Colette are just too tempting. I tried not to make Colette seem too OOC, and same goes for Kratos, and I hope I managed to accomplish that for the most part.

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**AMONG  
**_"What does it feel like to die?_"

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The Chosen often joins him on the nightshift. They talk of little things, of stars and constellations and of battles and of strategies.

"Mr. Kratos," Colette starts one night, lying back against a dozing Noishe. Kratos shifts, sensing the atmosphere around them change. "What's it like to die?"

He frowns at the question. "Why do you wonder, Chosen?"

Colette has long stopped asking him to call her by her given name. Neither ask why. "When I finish my journey, I have to die to be reborn as an angel." She stops, lacing her fingers together below her chest. "What's it like?"

Minutes flow by in silence. Finally, Kratos says, "Are you scared?"

Colette shifts, craning her head to look at him. "Yes," she says simply. "But it's for the good of the world, so it's okay." Her blonde hair is orange in the light of the fire, her eyes oddly liquefied. "What did you die for, Mr. Kratos?"

He is still.

Colette flushes, ashamed, and gazes back up at the sky. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

Kratos opens his mouth, hesitates, and then shakes his head. "It's fine, Chosen." He grasps in the air for the right words. They float between them, just waiting to be caught. "If you must know, I died for a friend's dream."

Indeed, he died four thousand years ago in the pain and torture of his transformation. The pain is dull now in his memories, eroded by four thousand years worth of time. Kratos wonders if the Cruxis Crystal hurts that much still, or if Mithos did something to ease the pain.

"Oh." Something passes in Colette's eyes at his answer. "Was it worth it?"

He thinks. "I don't know." Would he give up Lloyd, now that he had him?

"...Was it scary?" Her voice is smaller.

"It hurt," he says instead, refusing to give any more details. She seems to sense this, and closes her eyes.

"Have you met Martel?" She whispers after a pause full of the fire crackling. He is almost tempted to smile.

"Yes."

"What is she like?"

It takes a few moments to remember – a flash of green hair, pale skin, laughter. He feels guilty.

"Tell me a story, Mr. Kratos." He glances up at the Chosen, resting against the Protozoan, and for a moment her hair is not blonde and she is not young. There are a healer's robes on her body.

"Tell me a real story, Mr. Kratos," she prompts, her eyes staring into his, and Kratos recalls the number of times he mentioned his own name in the Chosen's scripts.

Colette waits without a word, knowing there is nothing for her to say.

"Maybe another time," Kratos replies, and turns his eyes away from the figure of Martel's future body.


	3. US

**Disclaimer: **Tales of Symphonia does not belong to me.

Last part. Hope you enjoyed these.

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**US  
**_"Describe Heaven to me."_

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The winds of Hima howl. He is awake in his non sleepless state, resting on one of Hima's highest peaks. There is no one here but him, and from where he is, he watches Lloyd and Genis play-fight at the Inn's porch. Sheena cheers them on, and Raine leafs through a book not too far off. The sun is close to setting on the horizon beyond, and several travelers and merchants mill at the town stores.

A soft sound breaks the quiet as the Chosen lands behind him with the grace of a bird, offering a smile when he turns to acknowledge her. Her notepad is clutched with one hand, her other gripping a pencil.

"_You looked lonely up here," _she shows the pre-written message before he can even ask. He frowns, moving aside to make space for her. She sits, dangling her legs over the edge, and watches the people below.

"It is dangerous up here, Chosen," he says, and she looks a little put-out. Her fingers flash against the paper in her lap.

"_Thank you for your concern, Mr. Kratos, but I am perfectly fine._" He raises his eyebrows at this, and she underlines the sentence several times. He shrugs and turns back to the view of the mountain town.

"If you're certain," he mutters, watching Raine herd her brother and Lloyd into the inn, despite their protests; Sheena starts to laugh, but is quickly scolded by the woman. She hangs her head and follows after them, glaring as the other two giggle. Colette begins to wave when Raine starts to search for her and Kratos, managing to catch her attention after several times. From here, they both can see her frown but she holds up several fingers, motioning towards the inn. Colette sends her a thumbs-up, and the woman must have good eyesight, because she sends them one last look and heads into the building.

"Why are you here, Chosen?" Kratos asks after some time. Colette scribbles in her notebook.

"_Why are __you__ here, Mr. Kratos?" _He glares at the paper. The girl doesn't falter, just smiles.

"_I'm sorry, I had a question I wanted to ask you," _she writes when he doesn't answer. He nods, and her hand stills for a moment. In the distance comes a crow's cry, and the sun slips farther into the ground.

"_What is Heaven like?" _He had expected this, and examines her. She is still as a statue, her hair blowing in the wind like a war banner.

"Are you ready to go there, Chosen?" She purses her lips, and nods. He sighs.

"Very well." He thinks of Welgaia, of Mithos' chambers and of Martel resting there, her soul trapped. Of angels in the city and Yuan shadowing the lifeless halls, forever caught in grievous thoughts of revenge.

"Heaven is cold, Chosen." He says at last, his eyes boring into hers. He sees knowledge there, and her question. _She really looks too much like Mithos_, he decides.

"The world will be reborn... Colette," he replies, voice soft (because she is Colette Brunel and not Mithos, never Mithos), and a bright smile blossoms on her face. She mouths a _thank you _and dusts off her clothes before leaping off the edge. He watches her go, frozen. The sky is dark now, and faintly, he can see the stars above. Colette's wings light up the dark, a bright pink glow in the night and he clenches his jaw, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword.

Indeed, Heaven was cold, and so were all those who resided there. Kratos knows he is fitted for such a place, and can't help but wonder what real Heaven is like.

_I'm sorry, Anna, _he says to the skies, and leaves. The moon shines as the clouds start to part.


End file.
